Our Arizona Oasis

By the looks of the picture above and the words in the title, you might think we're living in our own little paradise... and in a sense, we are. But what you might not know is that I type this with a hint of sarcasm.

Sure, we are in a gorgeous part of Arizona...

Our condo is on a golf course with a mountainous backdrop and surprisingly, considering we're living in the desert, there is a lot of green around us.

... and there's even small bodies of water and I'm not just talking about our swimming pool.

The boys are in heaven.

They've even made a new friend!

They catch the fish and he takes them home to eat... but don't worry, these minnows didn't make the cut.

While the boys fished, I watched the momma duck and her babies... 

... and of course I had fun playing with my camera! {at Aaron's expense} :)

My morning runs are conveniently located on this pretty little path behind our condo that goes on for miles and miles and miles... {not that I would know from experience}.

I run by these pretty orange trees every morning and I make sure to inhale even harder to smell their citrusy scent.

The other day I was so thirsty I thought I was going to fall out right there in the middle of the path {it is INSANE how much water you have to drink here and I'm learning that the hard way, obviously} and it just so happened to hit me when I ran past the orange trees. Unfortunately all the oranges are at the very top of the tree and dare I say that my vertical leap could have rivaled that of any WNBA girl. The taste of victory was not very sweet though... I am assuming that oranges are not in season right now because that was the most sour thing I think I've ever tasted. Oh well, at least they smell good!

There is also lots to do around here... the shopping is literally some of the best I've ever seen {and unfortunately, that's not a good thing}. I think you would have to spend two full days at the main mall in Scottsdale just to be able to fully cover it all. I would call myself a "foodie" and the restaurants here make me giddy... if only I could wine and dine every night with no care of a budget! There is also a lot of entertainment here... hence the Dbacks vs. Rockies game we went to the other night.

We were accompanied by Brad and Emily of course...

and another one of the guys and his sweet girlfriend!

The Rockies won of course.

So onto our housing situation which is the source of my hint of sarcasm in the title of this post.

It seems to me that half the people that reside in Scottsdale live in condos.

And if they live in their own home, it would look something like this.

Our condo is not the "creme de la creme" but it is all we need. You cannot beat the location- the golf course, the running path, and you can walk comfortably to Old Town and "5th Avenue".

It is 2 bed 2 bath and it came fully furnished Hallelujah! The furniture might be 30 years old but at least we didn't have to go hunt it down at Goodwill like we did last summer!

The 80's decor is not exactly my taste but hey, we've got all we need right here. Now can you understand why I want to wine and dine at restaurants every night? But, I did feed the masses last night and the 1985 GE stove did just fine.

Our bedroom is very spacious -or at least the mirrors make it seem that way- and our bathroom is small with carpet under the vanity... needless to say, thank God I brought bath rugs.

Our balcony is nice in the mornings when it's still cool... It's where like to spend my quiet time and eat breakfast.

The little lady loves her new home... so much so, she even posed for the camera!-which is a big deal for her. {she still refused to look at the camera though...little diva}

{Please note my sarcasm in editing this picture also}

So while our "oasis" is still stuck in the 1980's it is everything we need. I know I joke about it, but I'm not complaining. We are so thankful to be living in such a nice area.

I hope you enjoyed this very lengthy post... I have a feeling there will be lots more to come!